Brownies Du Jour

I know that people are devoted to their chewy, fudgy, deep, dark, buttery evil brownies like nothing else in the world. So I found a recipe that everyone swore was the best. Ray says they're amazing. How can anything with over a pound of chocolate in it be bad? They're best cold, straight out of the fridge, in my opinion. Mmmmm...sinful.

This recipe has been seriously scaled down and revised from a giant bakery batch size, but if you have a half sheet pan (12x18x1 inch deep) and you need lots of brownies, just double the recipe. (If you do choose to go this route you will probably need to put another pan or foil under the brownie pan to catch brownie batter spillover and avoid an oven fire or smoked brownies.) I've never made them with the optional walnuts, but I bet those are good, too. You can also make an Oreo version which is fabulous!

Outrageous Brownies
(adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 and 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate*
3 extra large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour, plus 2 and 1/2 tablespoons for the chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (whatever your preference is)
1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
-or- 1 (8 ounce) bag of mini Oreos for the Oreo version (also optional)

-Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil that overhangs the ends (this will make your brownies easier to remove and cut). Butter and flour the foil in the pan and set aside.
-Melt together the butter, the 1 and 1/3 cups semi- sweet chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate* in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth.
-Remove when melted and allow to cool slightly.
-In a large mixing bowl stir together (do not beat) the eggs, vanilla and sugar.
-Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
-In the meantime preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
-In a seperate bowl mix together 2/3 cup flour, baking powder and salt.
-Add to the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until just blended.
-In a bowl toss the remaining cup of chocolate chips (and nuts or oreos, if using) and the 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of flour until well floured. This will keep the chips from sinking to the bottom of the batter while baking.
-Add the flour and chips mixture to the brownie batter and mix until just combined.
-Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out. Smooth the top.
-Bake for 15 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough.
-Bake for another 13 to 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (It's okay if it comes out with a few crumbs or a little chocolatey/buttery, but not sticky with batter). Don't overbake!
-Allow to cool completely and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. (These can be baked and refrigerated up to a week in advance.)
-When ready to cut, lift the brownies out of the pan using the overhanging foil as handles, peel the foil away from the sides, then cut into squares.
-These cut easier when cold out of the fridge, using a sharp knife dipped in hot water and cleaned between cuts.

Makes about 16 brownies, depending on how big you cut them.

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Tips!

*Unsweetened Chocolate: If you don't have any of this in your pantry, you can use unsweetened cocoa powder. 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil equals one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. This recipe will use 9 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Just add them to the recipe and follow along as usual. Easy peasy!

*Make sure that your brownie batter is completely cooled to room temperature when you add your chocolate chips at the end, or the chips will melt and ruin the brownies.

*For some reason butter works better than anything when you grease your pans for brownies. I've never had a problem removing them when I grease with butter, unlike when I use cooking spray. I suspect it's the propellant in the spray. Using butter is like magic--they come right off the foil.